Package-binding apparatus



June 2, 1942. A. MARCHEV 2,285,120

PACKAGE-BINDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 8, 1959 8 Sheets-Sheet l June 2, 1942. A. MARCHEV PACKAGE-BINDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 8, 1939 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 2, 1942. i A. MARCHEV 2,285,120

PACKAGE -BINDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 8 1939 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Q)? {77 av /ZZZ" v 97? ara' 61/ @F @c fMaZ- Win/44.

June 2, 1942. AMARCHEV 2,285,120

PACKAGE -BINDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 8, 1959 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 A. MARCHEV 2,285,120

Filed Sept. 8, 1959 a Sheets-Shet e 7 0% 61/ twig Y (/5 InUenZcW" wed WZQ AM I M 4! 77; (0M Q1 5 aF i 3 5.

June 2, 1942.

PACKAGE-BINDING APPARATUS JuneZ, 1942. A. MARCHEV 2,285,120

PACKAGE-BINDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 8, 1939 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 June 2, 1942. A. MARCHEV PACKAGE-BINDING APPARATUS 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Sept. 8, 1.939

Patented June 2, 1942 PACKAGE-ENDING APPARATUS Alfred Marchev, La Grange, 111., assignor to Signode Steel Strapping Company, Chicago, 111.,

a corporation of Delaware Application September a, 1939, Serial No. 293,994

' 9 Claims.

ditions requiring that binding be done in what is commonly termed production lines.

It will also be found to be particularly efiectiv in binding packages in the form of annuli such, for example, as coils of metallic strap or strip. It is common practice to bind such annularshaped packages by binders looped about radially disposed sections thereof, as distinguished from loops encircling the entire coileither diametrically or circumferentially-but the proper joining of the overlapping ends-of the looped binder has heretofore been a serious problem. Even whenthe hole of the annular-shaped package is large the proper operation of joint-making'tools therein is diflicult; when the hole is small it is well-nigh impossible. It has therefore heretofore been the general practice to make the binder joints along one of the three external surfaces of such packages, not along the inside surface. And yet, the ideal location for the joint is on the inside surface-within the ringwhere it is out of the way and cannot be interfered with by, or interfere with other objects.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved package-binding apparatus.

Another object is to provide an apparatus that is simple, efiective, easy to operate, and conducive to greater speed in binding.

A further object is to provide an apparatus that is especially applicable to the binding of annular-shaped packages, because, if desired, it effectively produces joints along the inside surface within the ring.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

Because the applicability of the apparatus to the binding of other varieties of packages will be readily apparent from a description of its use in binding annuli-shaped packages, it will be shown and explained only in connection with packages of ring form.

An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the complete apparatus, in the form of a, package supporting and binding table, an annular package, such as a coil of strap, being shown in dotted lines in binding position;

- Fig. 2 is a perspective with some of the table braces broken away, the "better to show the mechanism therebehind; v

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the mechanism in normal or package-receiving position';

Fig. 4 is an enlarged central vertical section with the package in binding position and loosely encircled with a loop of binder Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 4, with the package in binding position and the binderi'ioop tensioned thereabout preparatory to making the joint; v

Fig. 6 is a horizontalsection'on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a section similar to Fig. 5, with the tensioning mechanism shown at the end instead of at the beginning of its stroke;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section on the line 88 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a section on the line l0|0 or Fig. 3;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged section on the line H-l I of Fig. 4;

Fig. 12 is a perspective of a sleeve such as may be used to advantage to'make a stronger joint between the overlapping ends of'the tensioned binder loop;

Fig. 13 is a perspective of a portion of a package, such as a coil of strap or strip, showing the section-encircling binder and the joint on the inner surface of the coil, and- Fig. 14 illustrates a modified arrangement of binder loop which may be particularly effective under some conditions.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus includes, in general, a table or bench having a flat package-supporting top or platform l5 mounted upon four legs [6, a binder tensioning mechanism actuated by the handle l1, and a sealing or joint-making mechanism actuated by mechanism located in a sealer head 25. If, as

.. manner the carrier block 35 is mounted for vershown, the package is annular in shape, such as a coil or metallic strap or strip", it is positioned so that the sealer head lies within the hole of the ring against its inside surface as indicated most clearly'in Figs; 'land '2..

.tical reciprocation between an upper position indicated,-for'example in Fig. 4, and a lower position about as shown in Fig. 7.

A pivoted gripper 40, the active face of which is. preferably serrated as shown to increase the gripping action upon the binder. is mounted up- Thebinder-strap '21, which is stored upon and unwound as requiredfrom reel 2|, normally passes up through anopening in the table top' andits free orstarting end 23 projects past-the sealer head farenough to'be readilygrasped by the operator. This initial or normal location of the. free end 23 of the binder is clearly shown" package loosely as shown clearly in Fig. 2. Then.

the free binder-end 28 is'shoved into a slot 29 in the table top and pushed therethrough under the package, as most clearly indicated bythe dotted lines of Fig. 3, until it 159 past the body of binder at the inner face of the package and projects, within the loop, some distance above the inner upper corner of the package, as indi-' cated by the dotted line; in Fig. 4.

After the end 28 has been thu projected, it is bent sharply down about and upon the inner upper corner of the package as indicated by the full lines of Fig. 4. The snubbing action of this bend in the binder about the inner uppercorner of the package serves initially to anchor the free end of the binder and as the loop is shrunk about the package, as will be hereinafter explained, the snubbing action increases and the anchorage becomes more secure as the tension increases.

With the free end of the binder thus anchored, the operator pumps up and down on the tensioner handle I]. These movements of handle I] cause a tensioning mechanism 30 to reciprocate up and down, resulting in the excess strap in the binder encircling loop being retracted step-by-step until the loop has been shrunk upon and tensioned about the package to the desired degree, as shown 'in Fig. 5. In the arrangement shown, the strap is retracted to shrink the loop when handle I1 is depressed.

When handle I1 is raised preparatory to an additional step of binder retraction, the binder is prevented from losing the amount taken upi. e., the tensionby a retainer and initial feed device 3 l which will be presently explained. After the tensioner handle l1 has been reciprocated sufliciently to create the desired amount of tension, pedal i8 is depressed, causing the sealing mechanism to deform the overlapping strap portions alongthe inner side of the package and, after the seal or joint is made, to cut the loop, now permanent, from the source at approximately the level of the table top. Following the cutting of the loop from the source, the elevation of tensioning handle [1 to its extreme upward position results in the free or starting end of the binder being fed up to project above the top of the table for easy grasp by the operator in beginning the next cycle, i. e., to the initial or normal condition shown in Figs, 1, 2 and 3.

Referring particularly to Figs. 4, 6 and '7, the

on stud 38. The movement of gripper 40 about stud 35 is limited by the engagement of the ends of a slot ll with a pin 42 carried by block 35. The complementary strap engaging member for gripper I0 is a clutch 53, 'which for convenience and easy replacement may be in the form of a screw plug threading through an opening in block 35.

The'binder strap, in its passage from reel 2| to the slot through the table top, is trained between gripper l0 and clutch 43. The relation is such that when the block 35 is moved from its lower position, such as that shown in Fig. '7, to its upper position, such asshown in Fig, 4, the gripper 40 does not clutch the binder 21, but passes idly thereover. Upon movement of-block 35 in the reverse direction, however (i. e., downwardly from Fig. 4 to Fig. 7 positions), gripper 40 pivots about stud to grip the strap between its roughened face end and clutch l3, and the binder is pulled downwardly approximately the amount of such downward movement.

The reciprocatory movements of block 35 are brought about by the up and down reciprocation of handle 11 through a lever 44, which is pivoted to the table frame at 45, and a link It, the link being connected at one end to lever 44 by a pin 41 and at the other end to block 35 by stud 31.

The retainer and initial feed device 3| includes a carrier block 50 carried by two studs 5| and 52 which extend into vertical slots 53 in brackets 39. Block 50 is thereby arranged to reciprocate vertically between an upper position indicated in Fig. 4 and a lower position indicated in Fig. '7. Block 50 carries a pivoted gripper 54 which cooperates with a clutch 55 to grip and hold the binder trained therebetween.

Gripper 54 has a rearwardly extending arm 56 to which is attached a spring 51. Spring 51 not only biases gripper 54 toward its strap-engaging position, but also biases block 50 toward its top position. The arrangement and relation between gripper 54 and clutch 55 are such that,

binder tensioner 30 includes a carrier block 35 providedwith two studs 35 and 31 which project whereas when block 50 is up they permit the binder to move readily upward therebetween, they prevent the binder from moving. upwardly between them when block 50 is down and spring 51 is under extra tension, although the binder can be readily moved between them in a downward direction. Thus, in addition to another function to be later described, the binder retainer 3| prevents retrograde movement of the binder (i. e., movement opposite the direction required for shrinking and tensioning the loop about the package) during the inactive stages of the operation of the tensioning mechanism.

In its extreme lower position block 50 is there retained against the upward bias of spring .51 by a latch 58. Latch 58 is pivoted to brackets 33 at 59 and is biased by its own eccentric weightso as normally to tend to swing clockwise into the position shownin Fig. '7. Thus, its notch 50 will automatically engage the upper inner corner SI of block 50 when the block is moved to 1 be moved to release block 50, by swinging tensioning lever 44 upwardly slightly more than its normal stroke, whereupon a pin 62 projectin from latch 58 is struck by therear wall of a notch 63 in lever 44.

The complementary action of the tensioning and retaining grippers is this: With the parts in normal'position, as shown in Fig. 4, the depression of tensioning handle I! directly moves block 30 downwardly. This downward movement of block 30 first results in gripper 40 pivoting clockwise to more firmly press the interposed binder against clutch 43, a small amount of friction between the binder strap and gripper 40 initiating this pivotal movement. With the binder firmly gripped (and the tighter the tension the firmer the grip) further downward movement of handle I! results in the binder being pulled back towardthe reel to retract the slack in the loop about the package.

The retractile or downward movement of the in great detail. It includes a pair or deforming jaws 10, pivotally mounted to the frame on a pivot shaft II, and an interposed anvil or chair I2. The coaction of these jaws and anvihwhen the forward ends of the jaws are forced toward each otherpcrimps inwardly the edges of inter- 88 to one arm 8| of a bell crank 82, the other arm 83 of which carries the pedal 18. Bell crank 82 is pivoted to the table frame by a pin 84 and is binder upon the initial down stroke of handle I! first causes gripper 54 to grip the binder more tightly against clutch 55 and thereafter to carry block 50 and the retainer grippers 5455 bodily downward. When handle I! has been moved to its first full down position, the downward movement of the binder occasioned thereby has resulted in block 50 moving downwardly far enough to permit the notch 68 of latch 58 to engage its upper inner corner GI and hold it there against the upward bias of spring 51. The parts are then in the condition shown in Fig. 7.-

Now when handle I! is moved upwardly, the retracting grippers 43 release the strap and with block 35 move upwardly to position to secure a new and advanced hold upon the binder. But block and its retaining grippers 5455 are prevented from upward movement by latch 58. And in their down position these retaining grippers prevent the strap from moving upwardly, i. e., they-retain in the strap loop about the package whatever shrinkage and tension the down movement of handle l1 hasefiected therein. The operator can now pump handle I! up and downbeing sure not to raise it high enough to trip latch 58until, step-by-step, all of the slack in the loop has been retracted and the desired tension upon the package has been attained.

With the loop tensioned as desired, the pedal I8 is depressed to make the joint and sever the loop from the supply, as will be presently explained. After the binder has been cut the operator elevates handle l'l far enough to'cause the wall of notch 63 in its lever 44 to strike pin 62 on latch -58 to trip the latch and release block 50 therefrom. Thereupon, spring 51 returns block 50 to its upper position and, inasmuch as the binder is clamped between its grippers 54-55, the free end 28 of the binder strap supply is fed upwardly through the table topthe amount of feed being determined by the distance block 58 travels.so as to project thereabove as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, to be readily accessible to the operator for commencing the next binding cycle.

Although the details of the joining or sealing mechanism may vary widely, depending upon the type of joint or-seal desired, I have chosen to illustrate those which particularly lend themselves to the production of joints of the general type set forth in Flora Patent No. 1,252,680 dated January 8. 1918. In the main, therefore, the

sealing mechanism closely resembles that shown, for example, in Bergstrom Patent No. 1,969,115,

dated August 7, 1934, and need not be described tion the sleeve between the deforming jaws im-' biased counterclockwise by a spring 85 to keep pedal I8 normally elevated.

The depression of pedal l8 rocks bell crank 82 in a clockwise direction which, through link and lever I8, moves head I6 forwardly (i. e., to the right as viewed in Figs. 4 and 7) and effects theclosing movement of jaws 10. Upon release of the pedal, spring 85 restores the parts to normal.

If metal sleeves 86, such as shown in Fig. 12, are to be used to reinforce and strengthen the joints, it has been found to be desirable to posimediately after pulling out of the binder preparatory to looping the package. In other words, to feed out the binder strap through the sleeve. This requires that the'sleeve be held stationary while the strap is being pulled therethrough, and it is accomplished automatically, by the placement of a-package in binding position, in the following mannen' A trigger is mounted to project through and above the table top in a position to-be struck and moved by apackage being shoved into binding position against sealer head 25. Trigger 99 formspart of a trigger-lever 9| which is pivoted to the frame at 92-and, at its lower end, is pivotally connected,

by a pin 93, to a bar 94. Trigger lever 9| is biased by a spring to rotate in a clockwise direction about its pivot 92 normally to project trigger 90 forwardly in the path of a package being pushed against sealer head 25, as shown most clearly in The rearend of bar 94 is retained in and guided by a slotted bracket 96. Bar 94 has a notch 91 which, under certain conditions, may be closed by a pivoted gate 98. The wall of slot 91 cooperates with bolt 99, that hinges link 88 to arm 8| of bell crank 82, to effect a slight preliminary movement'of the sealing jaws sufiicient to cause them to clamp and hold a sleeve therebetween while the binder is being pulled therethrough.

Normally the parts are in the positions indicated in Fig. 3, with trigger 9!] advanced and the opening of slot 91 in front of bolt 99. When a package is P sitioned for binding it is pushed back tightly against the sealing head. During I this movement the package strikes trigger 90 and rocks trigger lever 9| counterclockwise about its pivot 92 into the position shown by the full lines in Figs. 5 and 7. As a result of this movement of the trigger lever, bar 94 is advanced toward the right, bolt 99 enters slot 91 and strikes the rear end thereof and then bell crank BI is rocked slightly counterclockwise and link 88 is pulled to rock lever 18 and, through link I1, head 16 and links H to ivot jawslll toward each other upon J i p tween the jaws and in front of anvil 12.

the interposed sleeves. The movement should be sufllcient to enable the iaws'tightly to grip and hold the sleeve without appreciably deforming it. Later, after the tensioning completed as heretofore described, the pedal I8 is deupper edges of the jaws into proper place be- The package to be boundsay a coil of steel.

strap or strip-is now placed upon the table top,

. with sealer head 25 through its hole, and shoved back againsttrigger 98 untilit istlght against the sealer head 25. The movement produced in trlgger illl causes jaws 10 to close to a sufllcient extent tightly .to grip the sleeve. Now the operator inserts the free end of the strap into slot 28, pushes the strap into the slot until the free the bolt 89 may pass by the normally open slot 81 to permit the sealing mechanism and its pedal to return to normal before the bound package is withdrawn from the binding position wherein knife advances far enough to cut 'the loop about the package from the source. Retainer 5ll5l-55, however, prevents the now free end of the binder strap from dropping down under the table.

In order to facilitate the proper travel of the v free end of the binder after it is inserted into slot 28 in the table and while it is being pushed below and around the package, a trough I85 is provided below the table top. Thebottom and inner end of this trough are sloped and curved as shown in Fig. 4 to insure that the strap end takes the proper course. A pair of strap guides-in the form of spring-pressed balls l08--are also provided. This arrangement is shownmost clearly in Fig. 11. The spring pressure upon guide-balls I86 should be such that. they willremain in outward position and keep the binder strap therebelow under any such pressure as may be created by the tendency of the strap to straighten as it is being pushed through the trough. When, how- 'ever, the starting end 28 of the binder has been fed through and anchored as heretofore described, and the operation of v the tensioning with the free or starting end of the binder strap projecting above the table top and sealer head as shown in Fig. 3. Preferably the first operation is for the operator to pull through the slot in the table top a length of'strap somewhat in excess of that required completely to loop the package to be bound. If the joint is to include a sleeve 88, it is threaded over the pulled-out free strap end 28 of the strap and allowed to slide down the strap into'position between the then open jaws 10., Momentarily deflecting the strap end forwardly will permit the sleeve to drop past the end 28 again passing through sleeve 88 appears well above the inner upper corner. of the package, as'shown by the dot-ted lines in Fig. 4. The end is then bent sharply down upon and around the corner of the package as shown by the full lines of Fig. 4. The end of the binder is now temporarily anchored suillciently to withstand the initial stages of tension.

The operator next pumps tensioner handle II up and down to cause the tensioning mechanism 80-48-43 alternately to move downwardly (to pull strap back from the loop.) and upwardly (to obtain a new and advanced grip upon the strap) to retract strap from the loopand shrink it step by-step toward the package.

As previously described, the first downward movement of handle I! causedthe strap to move retainer mechanism 585l55 downwardly where it will be thereafter held by latch 58 and prevent retrograde movement of strap toward the package during the upward and non-pulling movements of handle ll.

As the loose loop shrinks upon the package it tightens down upon the end 28 which, as stated, was bent around the package corner and thereby the snubbing action is increased to afford an effective anchorage againstsuch tension as may be required. When the binder loop has been shrunk upon the package with the desired tension, the operator, still holding tensioning handle I] where that desired tension was attained, steps upon and depresses pedal [8. The depression of pedal [8 rocks bell crank 82 still further to-effect first the formation of the joint by jaws 18 and immediately thereafter the severing of the strap below the joint by knife I84.

As soon as the loop encircling the package is separated from the source, the package may be removed. The withdrawal of the package from trigger 98 permits spring 95 to rock trigger arm 9| to effect full opening of the jaws and then to its extreme top position. The complete elebe assumed that the parts are in normal position vation of handle I! causes its lever 44 to strike pin 82 of latch 58 with the result that latch 58 trips and releases the depressed retainer mechanism 58-54-55, enabling spring 51 to return that mechanism to normal raised position. The

upward movement of the retainer mechanism 58--5l55 pushes the free or starting end 28 of the binder strap up above the level of the sealer head and the apparatus is ready to begin another cycle.

Since, for example, the outer comers of packages, such as annuli, are most exposed to damage it may be desirable to reinforcethem with an additional thickness of' binder strap. The apparatus heretofore explained lends itself well to this treatment of packages as will be clear from an examination of Fig. 14.

Fig. 14 shows a cross section of a ring-shaped package 28. Instead, however, of the free end 28 of the binder .21 embracing the inner upper corner 28a, as previously explained, a sufficient length of binderhas been pushed through the table top slot 29 to cause the free end 2841 to pass on-inside the packageencircling looppast the two outer comers 26b and 260, as indicated by the dot-dash lines. Now, when the tensioning mechanism is actuated to retract the excess strap and shrink the loop upon the package the free end 2811 is bound tightly around the lower outer packa'gewcorner 26c and a double layer of tensioned strap lies about both outer corners, as indicated by the full lines.

Having thus illustrated and described the nature and preferred embodiment of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A package binding apparatus comprising a support for the package being bound, said support having an opening therethrough for the passage of binder in front of a package in binding position and a trough through which the end of the binder after being passed partly abouta bundle may be pushed to complete the encirclement of the package, and again pass through the opening in the support to provide overlapping binder portions after the package has been looped by binder, manually actuated mechanism for retracting binder through the opening in the support to shrink and tension "the loop thereof about the package, a, binder retainer movable toward and away from the opening in the support, said retainer having grippers that cause it to grip the binder andbe moved thereby away from the opening in the support upon the first retraction of binder, a latch to hold the retainer in its position away from the opening in the support wherethe grippers retain the re- I tracted binder against any tendency to move toward the bundle, means for moving the retainer toward'the opening in the support to feed a starting end of binder therethrough whenthe latch releases the retainer, sealing and binder out 01f mechanism located above the opening in the support, and means for actuating the sealing and cut off mechanism.

2. A package binding apparatus comprising a support for the package being bound, said sup- 3. A package binding-apparatus comprising a support for the package being bound, said support having an opening therethrough through which binder-strap may be fed past a vertical face of a package in binding position and also having a-slot therethrough over which a package lies in binding position, wire guiding means be low the slot in the support to guide the end of the binder about'the underside of the package and again past the vertical side of the package in overlapping relation to the body of binder looped about the package, binder tensioning means for retracting the looped binder step-bystep to shrink and tension the loop thereof upon port having an opening therethrough for the passage of binder-strap from a source therebelow up past the face of a package in binding position and a trough opening into a slot in v the support over which a package lies when inv binding position, said trough acting to guide the end of the binder in looping it about the package so that the end' overlaps the body of binder at the side of the package above the opening through the support, manually actuating mechanism for retracting binder step-by-step through the opening in the support to shrink and tension the loop of binder about the package, a binder retainer reciprocable below the support toward and away from the support, said retainer including grippers that hold the binder against movement reverse to that produced by the tensioning mechanism, means for holding the retainer in its position away from the support, binder sealing mechanism for joining together overlapping portions of binder at the side of a package above the support, a binder cut off for severing the binder between the joint and the source, manually actuated means for operating the sealing mechanism and the cut off, and a trip for enabling the binder retainer the package, a sealing mechanism located at the region the binder overlaps at one vertical side which binder-strap may be fed past a vertical face of a package in binding position and also having a slot therethrough over which a package lies in binding position,'wire guiding means below the slot in the support to guide the end of the binder about the underside of the package and again past the vertical side of the package in overlapping relation to the body of binder looped about the package, binder tensioning means for retracting the looped binder step-bystep to shrink and tension the loop thereof up- I on the package, sealing mechanism located at the region the binder overlaps at' one vertical side of the package to join the overlapping binder portions adjacent the vertical side of the package, a binder cutter for severing the looped binder between the joint and the source of binder supply, means for actuating the sealing mechanism and the cutter, and means for feeding the severed end of the binder up through the support past the sealing mechanism to provide an accessible starting end for a new binding cycle, said means being controlled by the binder tensioning means.

5. A package binding apparatus comprising a support for holding a package in binding position, said support having an opening for the passage of binder strap therethrough from a source therebelow up past a vertical face of a package in binding position, means for guiding the free end of the binder after it has been partly looped about the package to cause the same to continue about the package to complete the loop thereabout and overlap the body of binder at the vertical side of the package, tensioning means for retracting binder to shrink and tighten the same upon the package, sealing means for joining the overlapping portions of the binder along the vertical side of the package, cutting means for severing the binder between the joint and the source, and'means for gripping and advancing the severed end of the binder to a position above the level of the sealing means.

6. A package binding apparatus comprising a support for holding a package in binding position, said support having an opening for the pas- I sage of binder strap therethrough from a source therebelow up past a vertical face of a package in binding position, means for guiding the free end of the binder after it has been partly looped about the package to cause the same to continue about the package to complete the loop thereabout and overlap the body of binder at the vertical side of the package, tensioning means for retracting binder to shrink and tighten the same upon the package. sealing means for joining the overlapping portions of the binder 'along the vertical side of the package, cutting means for severing the binder between the joint and the source, binder advancing means for gripping the binder and moving the severed end thereof to a position above the level of the sealing means, and a latch for preventing the binder movingaction of the binder advancing means, said latch being trippable by the tensioning means.

'I. A package binding apparatus comprising a table having-a slotted top for supporting a package in binding position, the slot serving to permit the passage of binder through the table top from a source therebelow, a binder guide below the table top for guiding into a loop about a package in binding position the free end of a binder fed from the source through the slot in the table top, binder tensioning mechanism for retracting binder through the slot in the table top towardthe source to shrink the loop or binder about a package in binding position, and binder advanctoration to normal of the tensioning mechanism to feed a short length of binder through the slot in the table top to provide a free end of binder for easy grasp by the operator to commence the next binding cycle.

8. A package binding apparatus having a slotted package support for holding a package in binding position, the slot serving to permit bindertobepassedtromasourcebelowthepackage support and looped about the package with portions threaded through a sealand overlapping a 5 at a side of the package to be there Joined with the aid of the seal, and having sealing jaws for deforming the seal and overlapped portions of binder to form a loop-retaining Joint, characterized by a lever engageable and movable by a in package being placed in binding position on the 15 ing threaded therethrough during the binderlooping o! the package.

9. A package in binding apparatus having a package support for holding a. package in binding position so that a binder may be looped 0 thereabout with portions of the binder threading through a channel shaped sealand overlapping at a side of a package in binding position on the support and having, cooperating sealing jaws for closing upon the seal and the over- 5 lapped binder portions therein to form a loopretaining joint, characterized by a lever engageable and movable by a package being placed in binding position on the package support, and connections between said lever and at least one 30 of the sealing jaws whereby movement of the leing means acting automatically upon the resver by the placement of a package in binding positio'n causes relative movement or the sealing jaws toward each other to grip and hold a seal therebetween against displacement while the as binder is being threaded therethrough during the binder-looping of the package.

AIFREDMARCHEV. 

